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Stories for 29 March 2003
Accrington News
Our terror attack ordeal
AN elderly couple today spoke of the moment a thug barged into their home and subjected them to a frenzied assault. more...
Campaign for women priests
PAROCHIAL church councillors in Knuzden are appealing to their congregation to urge the Archdeacon of Blackburn to choose a bishop who supports female ministers. more...
Off-duty cop nabs wanted man after spotting him buying cider
A MAN who had been on the run for six months was found by an off-duty bobby -- buying cider. more...
Dog owner thanks her petrol policeman rescuer
DOG owner Sandra Prince has offered her thanks to a bobby who came to her rescue. more...
Blackburn News
£3m blitz to cut road blackspots
NEARLY £2million needs spending on East Lancashire's main roads if the number of accidents is going to be seriously reduced. more...
Swoops put drugs gang behind bars
THREE men involved in the supply of heroin and cocaine on the streets of East Lancashire have been jailed for a total of nearly 16 years. more...
Anger at bus fare row 'rain' remark
THE councillor behind plans to increase some school bus fares by up to 100 per cent caused outrage when he rejected claims that it would leave some youngsters walking in the rain. more...
Fears over plan to give bailiffs break-in powers
GOVERNMENT plans to give bailiffs more powers to break into people's homes and seize properties to pay debts have been given a frosty reception by East Lancashire MPs. more...
Free-fares firm's bus loyalty bonus
BUS fares are set to be scrapped - for one day only! more...
Fund-raising dance for cancer victims
HEAD and neck cancer sufferers are set to benefit from a fund-raising event organised by nurses at an East Lancashire hospital. more...
Disgust as offal is dumped in garden
HOUSEHOLDER Ian Derbyshire was left disgusted after trays of chicken wings were dumped in the garden of a neighbouring house. more...
Ex-boxer found guilty of trying murder dad
A MAN has been convicted of trying to murder his 84-year-old father at his Blackburn home. more...
Battle calming ex-wife was punched
CHRISTOPHER Murphy forced his way into his ex-wife's home and attacked her new partner. more...
Bolton Business
JobCentre staff try hotel trade
JOBCENTRE staff are to discover what life is like at the sharp end. more...
Bolton Education
Open house when head Isobel retires
A NURSERY school headteacher is inviting past pupils and families to come and join her retirement celebration. more...
Rocket team blast the opposition
A FARNWORTH school won a trip to Moscow when they blasted away the opposition in a rocket science competition. more...
Truancy blitz nets 62
SIXTY-TWO youngsters were stopped during a truancy sweep in Bolton on Friday -- and around two thirds of them were with a parent. more...
£5,000 award puts school on screen
A BOLTON school has been awarded £5,000 to increase parent involvement in their children's achievements. more...
Pupils' dish of the day on the menu
BREWERS Fayre restaurants in Bolton are launching a competition for year eight pupils at local high schools to name and design two new dishes for its children's menu, which is due to be re-launched in July this year. The dishes will be designed from a list of ingredients supplied. more...
Bolton Leisure
College in a spin for Christie's
BOLTON Community College is holding a charity event in aid of Christie's Against Cancer. more...
Old school tie for Sara
RADIO 1 DJ Sara Cox could not resist reverting back into her Smithills School uniform as she put the old school tie around her neck while filming an interview outside Life Cafe Bar in Nelson Square. more...
Bolton's Top 10 books
1. Edith & Pat -- True Story Life in Farnworth by Pat Cox (Felton Books £7.50). more...
Gig guide
March 31 more...
Mark is heading for the Station
A FEW weeks ago I broke the news that the brilliant jazz twosome Ben Castle and Mark Nightingale would be headlining a concert at the Bolton Festival on Sunday, August 24. more...
Ill Victoria stopped in mid-flow
BBC Radio 5 presenter Victoria Derbyshire had to stop reading a news bulletin after she broke down because of an illness. more...
Bolton News
New courthouse is the `only option'
THE building of a multi-million pound courthouse is considered by Bolton's council chiefs to be the only option to replace the ageing court building in Le Mans Crescent. more...
Sara on the spot
PUPILS from Smithills School -- Sara's old school -- spent 20 minutes quizzing the DJ on a range of topics after watching her present her Breakfast Show. more...
Mark and Lard . . . and Peter
COMEDIAN Peter Kay made a surprise appearance on Mark and Lard's live radio show in Bolton. more...
Disabled grandad jailed after knife attack
A DISABLED grandfather was jailed for 18 months for attacking his grand-daughter's partner with a knife. more...
Teenagers who grabbed boy round throat are locked up
TWO teenagers who robbed a 17-year-old boy after grabbing him by the throat were sent to youth custody. more...
Soccer contest will remember victim Billy
A JUNIOR football tournament is to be held in memory of a schoolboy killed in a collision with a motorbike. more...
Rocket team blast the opposition
A FARNWORTH school won a trip to Moscow when they blasted away the opposition in a rocket science competition. more...
Shops plan still on for old greyhound track
THE owners of the site of Bolton's former greyhound stadium have renewed a bid to transform it into a major shopping complex. more...
Big cash boost for the Octagon
BOLTON'S Octagon Theatre has received a funding boost to help it expand its work over the next three years. more...
Corrie's Shelley has carers at heart
CORONATION Street star Sally Lindsay has pledged her support for Carers Week 2003 which runs from June 9-15. more...
Killing civilians is no liberation BY FRED SHAWCROSS
THE battle for the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people has taken on a sinister new meaning. As I write this, both sides are accusing the other of firing the rocket (or rockets) which killed innocent civilians in a district of Baghdad, populated by mainly impoverished Iraqis, the very ones the so-called coalition forces are there to 'liberate'. more...
Alert over contaminated vodka
FURTHER warnings are being issued about bottles of vodka contaminated with the dangerous chemical methanol. more...
Rock star concert blocked
LANCASHIRE Cricket Club chiefs may appeal against a decision to block a concert by American rock star Bruce Springsteen at their Old Trafford ground. more...
Ill Victoria stopped in mid-flow
BBC Radio 5 presenter Victoria Derbyshire had to stop reading a news bulletin after she broke down because of an illness. more...
Motorist cleared of car drag charge
A MOTORIST has been cleared by a jury of reversing his car at speed and dragging a man along the road. more...
Man who took car is jailed
A 28-YEAR-old man was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment after pleading guilty to taking a car. more...
Truancy blitz nets 62
SIXTY-TWO youngsters were stopped during a truancy sweep in Bolton on Friday -- and around two thirds of them were with a parent. more...
£5,000 award puts school on screen
A BOLTON school has been awarded £5,000 to increase parent involvement in their children's achievements. more...
Mum always there to help
A LOVING mum has received the Bolton Evening News' Bouquet of the Week on the eve of Mother's Day. more...
House plan
AN application for a new detached house has been submitted to Blackburn with Darwen Council. Mr and Mrs Kenyon, of Broadhead Road, Edgworth, have want to build it on land next to their home. more...
Don't forget the clocks . . .
THE clocks go forward by an hour on Saturday night1Sunday morning for British Summer Time. more...
Open house when head Isobel retires
A NURSERY school headteacher is inviting past pupils and families to come and join her retirement celebration. more...
Tattooist to make mark for Nathan
TATTOOIST Paul Curnock will be in action in a Bolton pub this weekend to raise funds towards lifesaving treatment for five-year-old Nathan Howarth. more...
Pupils' dish of the day on the menu
BREWERS Fayre restaurants in Bolton are launching a competition for year eight pupils at local high schools to name and design two new dishes for its children's menu, which is due to be re-launched in July this year. The dishes will be designed from a list of ingredients supplied. more...
Old school tie for Sara
RADIO 1 DJ Sara Cox could not resist reverting back into her Smithills School uniform as she put the old school tie around her neck while filming an interview outside Life Cafe Bar in Nelson Square. more...
House plan
AN application for a new detached house has been submitted to Blackburn with Darwen Council. Mr and Mrs Kenyon, of Broadhead Road, Edgworth, want to build it on land next to their home. more...
Sara on the spot
PUPILS from Smithills School -- Sara's old school -- spent 20 minutes quizzing the DJ on a range of topics after watching her present her Breakfast Show. more...
Mark and Lard . . . and Peter
COMEDIAN Peter Kay made a surprise appearance on Mark and Lard's live radio show in Bolton. more...
Disgust at attack on horse Gus
SARA Cox spoke of her disgust at hearing that her childhood horse, Gus, was burned in an horrific attack -- and she has paid him a special visit. more...
More pictures from Friday's shows
LOCAL funyman Peter Kay made a surprise appearance on Mark and Lard's live radio show in Bolton. more...
Tragedy of diver who lived for hobby
A DETECTIVE who "lived for diving" died while exploring a shipwreck on holiday in Scotland. more...
What's behind all of this anti-Americanism?
I WAS born in Bolton and was raised in Kearsley. more...
This attack on Iraq is a war of aggression
THE three correspondents who replied to me in the Bolton Evening News on Tuesday, March 25, do not appear to realise that two important principles of International Law were established at Nuremburg. more...
Looking at the future for Iraq
OVER the last week or so we have seen horrific pictures in our newspapers and on our television screens of the war in Iraq. more...
What's happened to village?
WHAT has happened to the once lovely and thriving old village of Ainsworth between Bolton and Bury? more...
Why phone bosses need to hear this
THANK you for your excellent coverage of the protest by residents of The Haulgh, Bolton, over telephone boxes that we believe are being used to operate drug deals and prostitution near our homes . more...
Bolton Sport
Astley Bridge area darts league
THE Ladies 133s competition will be on Monday March 31 at the Lord Raglan Halliwell Road (free entry). more...
Triple 'D' League
CROSS Guns A team beat the Down and Outs B team in an exciting final of the Ladies Three a Side Competition at RHCC. more...
Perfect end for worthy winners Westhoughton
HALLIWELL Winter Rounders League completed its season in perfect weather when all 12 teams played in the Russell Seddon Tournament. more...
Knockout darts
LAST week's winner of the Founders Darts KO was Dave Smith, going out on a 151 finish against Wayne Merrick with some brilliant dart throwing from all players. Losing semis were Mick Daniels and Dave Trippier. No high lady prize this week. Knockout every Saturday £1 entry. Draw made at 9pm. All welcome. Telephone 362195. more...
DERBY DARTS
P W L F A Pt more...
Colls stun Ashton
ATHERTON Collieries earned a well deserved 1-1 away draw at Glossop North End last Saturday, but went one better in mid week at Curzon Ashton with a brilliant 3-0 victory. more...
Top trio set to fight to finish
IN the Bolton Darts League in aid of the Bolton Senior Gateway Club for Mentally Handicapped Adults, the focus is on the Ladies Section One at the Moonlight Club, St George's Road where a ding-dong battle is taking place between three players who are only separated by four points. more...
Harriers join race for top multi-race tour
HORWICH RMI Harriers is planning on hosting a race series it hopes will become the region's most popular athletics multi-race event. more...
Sue's double success
HORWICH RMI Harrier Sue Jones continued where she left off at the beginning of the month in Clitheroe, as she won her second duathlon in a row. more...
Jack's squad are county stars
NINE members of Jack Caldwell's middle and long distance squad represented Greater Manchester and Lancashire in the recent English Schools Cross Country Championships. more...
Bolton Snooker
THREE a side quarter finals sponsored by Bradshaw Conservative Club March 31 more...
Bolton & district snooker association
LATEST results: more...
Farnworth snooker league
LATEST details more...
Soccer contest will remember victim Billy
A JUNIOR football tournament is to be held in memory of a schoolboy killed in a collision with a motorbike. more...
Goalkeeper wanted
A BOLTON over-35s side need a goalkeeper to cover the last five games of the season. more...
Mo's new plans will not fool anyone
WHO does Maurice Lindsay honestly think he's kidding? writes Chris Hall more...
Ex-RL coach dies
, aged 72 more...
HAMMOND DOMINO LEAGUE
P W L F A Df Pt more...
Bolton hospice domino league
THE BILLY Worthington Pairs Competition will be held at Breightmet on Wednesday April 2. more...
Class shows as rampant Tameside reach final
THE semi-finals of the cup competitions did not produce any surprise results. more...
Chetham Close Trail Race Wednesday June 4
THE seventh running of the Chetham Close 10k trail race will be held on Wednesday June 4. more...
Champs bounce back
DIVISION One champions, Walmersley, made a poor start to the handicap event, beaten by Bradshaw, but bounced back this week with a win over Guild Hall A. more...
Tennis hope Emily eats up the challenge
THE idea of healthy eating and cutting down on fizzy pop might sound like a nightmare for most 10-year-olds but that is exactly what budding tennis ace Emily Egan-Morriss must put up with. more...
Radcliffe & district pool league
LATEST results more...
Deane and Daubhill pool league
THIS week sees the semi final of the Victory Reform Team K/O on Tuesday, and the Final of the Ukrainian Club Three-a-Side K/O on Wednesday. more...
Bolton & district pool league
THE semi and final of the League Rules Individuals is on Wednesday, April 2, at the Crofters, Harwood, with the draw for the semi at 8pm. more...
Turton and Edgworth Pool
LATEST details more...
Heaton loss
LIFELONG Heaton cricket supporter Harold Kell has died, aged 81. more...
Flying start for Chadwick
ANOTHER in the growing stable of talented young boxers from Tonge Boxing Club made a winning debut at Leyton Institute in Blackpool. more...
Bolton Wanderers
Glad to see the back of Farrelly
I FEEL I must respond to Mr Don McNamara's letter in which he says Gareth Farrelly was not given a fair deal by the Wanderers fans. more...
Marsh was wrong
I WONDER what Rodney Marsh thinks about Ivan Campo now? more...
An ode to Jay-Jay
On a day with little to do, more...
Whites are hot
IF anyone deserves to stay up it is Bolton for playing the game the right way. In my 46 years as a fan this is the most exciting Wanderers team I have seen. more...
Roeder agony over one that got away
GLENN Roeder could spend the summer agonising over the one that got away if Wanderers beat West Ham in the Premiership survival race. more...
United fans are backing Wanderers
IF Wanderers' fans ever needed to put their rivalry with Manchester United into perspective, they need only check out the latest posting on the United We Stand website. more...
The Reebok Week reviewed by Gordon Sharrock
SATURDAY: NO game for Wanderers but West Ham's predictable home victory over Sunderland means they drop into the bottom three. more...
Flattery, it would appear, will get you everywhere.
TWO days after extolling the virtues of Sky TV and stressing the importance to the club of the satellite station's cash backing, Phil Gartside was told another fixture - the game at Southampton on May 3 - would be screened live on pay-per-view. more...
Let's get Jay-Jay to the top
YOU would think Jay-Jay Okocha had done enough over the past four weeks to become Player of the Month in the Fans' Players Awards. more...
For Pete's sake!
SKY Sports pundit Andy Gray may be tactically aware but linguistically... that's a different matter. more...
Burnley News
£2m splash-out to clean up river
WORK on a massive new £2million clean-up for the River Calder is set to start later this year. more...
Day centre name joy for kind Rose
THE voluntary work of a Burnley woman is to be commemorated when she has a day centre named after her. more...
Judge's jail term threat for cloned card mum
A MOTHER-of-two who tried to use a cloned credit card to get goods worth over £100 from Asda has escaped jail, but has been warned it awaits if she carries on offending. more...
Facelift plan for rundown homes
NEIGHBOURS living in some of Burnley' most rundown homes are to be targeted in the latest stage of a three year housing regeneration scheme. more...
Nursing home arson
POLICE and fire investigators were today probing an arson attack on a former nursing home in Cliviger. more...
Bury News
Four months for man who spanked partner
A FORMER Radcliffe man was sent to prison for a total of four months for spanking his partner so hard she was left with marks on her backside. more...
Bury Sport
Bridging the gap
National League Two: Kendal...12 pts Sedgley Park...29pts more...
Clitheroe News
Pupil power group says no to racism
PUPILS at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School have launched an anti-racism pressure group. more...
Cannabis arrest police showered in drugs
POLICE officers making a drugs arrest were showered with blocks of cannabis. more...
One-stop chance of sorting council queries
COUNCILLORS in Ribble Valley have signed up to a countywide scheme aimed at establishing a state-of-the-art local government contact centre in Lancashire. more...
Seventy year-old was bell of a nuisance
PENSIONER Patrick Lynch kicked up a storm after returning to his brother's sheltered accommodation via the club. more...
Carers group is launched
A NEW support group for carers of people with Alzheimer's Disease or dementia has started in the Ribble Valley. more...
Candlelight vigil a plea for peace
PEACE campaigners in Clitheroe are stepping up their candlelit vigils at the gates of Clitheroe Castle. more...
Colne News
Seven arrests in youth crime
RAMPAGING youths in Barnoldswick have been targeted by a week-long police campaign to reduce juvenile nuisance. more...
Youth sent threat through third party
A TEENAGER sent a threat through a third party to a man due to give evidence in a trial, a jury was told. more...
Darwen News
Meeting hears ideas for future
ACTION to secure the future of Darwen town centre is a step closer after a series of meetings between residents, traders and a number of council officers. more...
Blood pressure record
DARWEN residents will not need a trip to the health centre to check on the state of their blood pressure next week. more...
Lancashire Leisure
EVENTS taking place in East Lancashire on Monday, March 31, 2003.
A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. more...
Lancashire News
British soldier caught in "friendly fire"
A British soldier is believed to have been killed after armored vehicles came under attack in a possible "friendly fire" incident in southern Iraq more...
Hard driving
THIS time of year seems to bring out learner drivers in droves. The AA has launched a new section online which gives you the opportunity to sit a mock theory test. more...
Targeting the junk
THE Government is hoping to target spam e-mails. more...
Woman's world
YOU can meet some of the 20th century's most influential women on a virtual stroll courtesy of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. more...
Creating a Northern Ireland with sunshine
THE battle for the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people has taken on a sinister new meaning. more...
Our terror attack ordeal
AN elderly couple today spoke of the moment a thug barged into their home and subjected them to a frenzied assault. more...
Mayor-Elect's house attacked
POLICE have launched an investigation after the new Mayor elect of Pendle's home was targeted in a brick attack -- just hours after he was elected to the post. more...
Vicar's remark was offensive
AS a life sciences graduate and working biologist, I felt obliged to write in response to the attack (Letters, March 1) made by the Rev Kevin Logan against Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. more...
Remember what Labour has done
REGARDING remarks about Blackburn being a "grotty, old mill town," etc, why not look at the good things our Labour council has given us these past few years, such as: more...
Opera turnout disappointing
ON Wednesday, March 5 I had the pleasure of attending King George's Hall in Blackburn to hear the opera, "A Masked Ball," performed superbly by the Compagnia D'Opera Italiana, Milano, which has been coming to King George's for a good number of years and never fails to "wow." more...
This could be end of the road for Straw
FOR years Jack Straw MP has bent over backwards to please the ever-growing Asian vote here in Blackburn, secure in the knowledge that this would safeguard his seat in perpetuity. more...
George Burns was right!
HOW delightful that Sandra King (Letters, March 6) should remember the words of the great comedian, George Burns. As a lifelong fan and avid collector of his books I wholeheartedly agree that cab drivers and barbers have a lot to offer in terms of political comment. more...
Clean-up needed
IT appears that Hyndburn Council has no money to clean up a site in Rishton so a little girl can play (LET, March 22). Maybe if they hadn't taken £40,000 out of the street cleaning budget (put in by the Conservatives) they might just be able to do this work. more...
Margo a real delight
HOW I enjoy Margo Grimshaw's column each Tuesday. more...
Straw Diary: Bang at US landing a fright
FLEW off to the USA on Wednesday to see President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell, with the Prime Minister. This is my sixth trip to the USA in eight weeks, so I am getting used to the rhythm. more...
Support for war families
THE mother of a British squaddie fighting Saddam has called for families of other servicemen and women to join her Hyndburn support group. more...
Drive & Stroll...War and peace in the haunt of a poet
IN the late 15th and early 16th century the Hurstwood area of Burnley would have been dominated by deciduous woodland and fast moving crystal clear streams. more...
The Saturday Message...with the Rev Kevin Logan
A MILE from the road block, Palestinians and Israelis had been exchanging bullets and petrol bombs. more...
My First. . . with STEPHANIE GRIMSHAW
Headteacher at Spring Hill Community Primary School, Accrington more...
Don't open all the doors to bailiffs
ALTHOUGH debt and modern lifestyle go hand in hand -- to the extent that borrowing in Britain is now a phenomenal £8 billion pounds -- most people manage keep up with their repayments without the bailiffs pounding at the door. more...
Leigh News
Councillors surgeries
WIGAN Council members will hold the following advice surgeries: more...
Nelson News
Trader admits selling fireworks to boy, 14
A NELSON shopkeeper has been given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay costs after pleading guilty to selling fireworks to a 14-year-old boy. more...
MP in call for books action for visually impaired
EAST Lancashire MP Gordon Prentice is calling on the government to provide more cash to make books available in Braille, audio tapes and large print for the blind and poorly sighted. more...
Pensioners' savings protected
EAST Lancashire pensioners were told today to apply for a new pension credit to protect their savings. more...
Rawtenstall News
'Message in a box' may be a lifesaver
AN INNOVATIVE "Message in a Box" scheme is being piloted in Rossendale to help emergency services identify potential health problems when attending incidents. more...
Barry's loving owners sought
THE RSPCA is looking for the owners of a black cat, who were willing to spend a fortune on vets bills. more...
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